Along the Path of Aging

Only Child

2011-11-11T13:12:00.001-05:00

Thanks for the article from Isaiah Gaines Being an only child always made me want siblings but you know, there wasn’t much I could do about that. I think that’s why as an adult I’ve chosen to surround myself with animals –they’re the best thing in the world next to other people! I love dogs more than cats and though they can get kind of smelly and gross I know they really feel human emotions

A Better, Green, Playroom Design

2011-06-02T13:43:00.007-04:00

Guest post written by Fiona Walker Right now the playroom design that we've had for a while now just isn't working. We have all these storage units in there that we thought would be great. Except they're so big that it's hard for the kids to find their smaller toys. Well, it isn't quite working for it anymore so we're just going to do a whole redecoration. I just can't get the layout

To Exercise or To Exercise, That is the Question

2011-03-08T12:01:00.000-05:00

Spring is in the air. I know some of you are still knee deep in unending snow banks, but trust me, spring is in the air. I know this not because the trees are budding in North Carolina and the daffodils are blooming, although they are, but because my body tells me at this time of year, every year, that it’s time to move. Not sell my house and move, but get off my dusty winter duff and move. It

My New Winter cape

2011-03-02T13:03:00.000-05:00

Guest post written by Hannah Key I think one of the most important wardrobe pieces for cold weather is a cute and warm coat. If you think about it, buying one that looks cute when you wear it is definitely important because when you're going around during the winter, it's one of the only pieces of clothing that other people get to see you in! I have 2 or 3 big winter coats that are really cute

Aging Abundantly has Moved!!

2011-02-01T19:58:00.000-05:00

JOIN US IN OUR NEW HOME I decided to move the Aging Abundantly blog to Wordpress so I could use it in conjunction with the Aging Abundantly website. I'm sorry for an inconvenience this may cause you. I do hope you'll re-join us there! There's lots more to discover along the journey of aging abundantly! We're on Facebook too! Oops! and Twitter @AgingAbundantly Let's connect!

Finding the Place of Thinner Peace

2010-06-25T12:29:00.002-04:00

I suspect most post-menopausal women confront body image issues regardless of whether we're thin or fat or somewhere in between. In spite of our best efforts, the hormonal changes that take place during and after menopause change the way our body works and ultimately looks. Our skin is no longer supple and everything loses its shape. Hence, baggy arm flesh, saggy boobs, weight around

"Why are You so Damn Fat!?"

2010-06-23T15:41:00.001-04:00

I don't know about you, but I have been asked this question at least a dozen times a day since the time I was about eleven. I have been belittled, criticized, mocked, scolded and generally abused. That's a whole lot of abuse! I didn't realize, on a conscious level, that it was even happening until I picked up Martha Beck's book The Four Day Win on the recommendation of a friend who has

Gratitude is Essential to Aging Abundantly

2010-05-28T13:28:00.000-04:00

I have been writing about compassion fatigue and will continue to do so next week. I think it is a very important topic for women to think about and discuss as we age. I want to take a break today and add this blog about gratitude, partly because this holiday weekend is an opportune time to be grateful. In addition, developing an attitude of gratitude can provide an

The Fertile Ground of Shattered Dreams

2010-05-19T10:53:00.000-04:00

Our beautiful maple tree lies in pieces on our front lawn, as the blossom laden magnolia looks on. This magnificent tree had its home in the very center of our front yard, and I watched as it grew from a tiny sapling to a large, spreading beauty that garnered the attention of strangers with cameras each fall. I loved this tree and spent many hours studying its shape and texture from my office

What Kind of Tree are you?

2010-05-04T21:51:00.001-04:00

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It Ain't Fair ~ It's Just Life

2010-04-30T13:37:00.002-04:00

I have been lying on the couch (metaphorically speaking) for a week with another cold ~ the second since the beginning of April. Who gets two colds, back to back, over a matter of weeks??? Not fair! Life is passing me by as I toss and turn at night constantly being awoken by wretched coughing jags that make my eyes water and my chest hurt. Last night, I dragged (drug?) myself from the

Beyond the Empty Nest

2010-04-28T14:27:00.001-04:00

Life ebbs and flows. There are times when we are swept away by the task at hand. We are committed to our goal and have all the energy we need to see it through to its conclusion. During these times we feel connected and involved in life. At other times, however, we find we are living in a place of uncertainty. A kind of restlessness takes over. We feel discontent with our lives, lethargic

Follow Your Dreams

2010-04-22T14:41:00.003-04:00

The Boomer Stereotype

2010-04-21T14:55:00.002-04:00

I intensely dislike the designation “boomer” and “baby boomer” ~ and have from the first time I heard it. I do not like being stereotyped! It is a dreadful oversimplification of what it meant to come of age in the 60’s and all that it has taken to become who and what I am today. Baby boomers are individuals and people. I came to resent it even more when young people began to use the

At the Heart of Hunger

2010-04-15T11:05:00.000-04:00

I have been so hungry lately! Nothing has changed in the way I am eating. Sure I'm always trying to cut back, but this hunger is different. It's a yearning, an itch, a restlessness. No doubt you've experienced what I'm talking about. I wander into the kitchen and look first in the refrigerator and then in the pantry. Nothing appeals to me. Why should it? I am well nourished but still starving.

Wonderful Wise Women Wednesday

2010-04-14T13:47:00.000-04:00

As you may or may not know, I have begun an Aging Abundantly tradition of honoring a woman each week whose life and work represent what I see as the beauty of age. When I began reading and writing about the changes taking place in my own life as I faced the aging process, I naturally encountered other women who were struggling with the same issues. Some were way ahead of me in the process.

Are You Having a "Female Midlife Crisis"?

2010-04-12T09:56:00.005-04:00

Finding a Smile

2010-04-09T13:43:00.007-04:00

When I choose to sit quietly, take a deep breath and focus on the abundance and beauty that surrounds me I feel an inner smile slowly well up within me. Do you know that feeling? We have so much that is good in our lives...so much beauty...so much love...if we simply take the time to notice it and allow it a place in our hearts. It we turn our attention to these things it can quickly fill

Welcoming Spring

2010-04-08T10:22:00.002-04:00

photo by Celia Leaman, Mayne Island, BC Each spring as the daffodils bloom I am reminded of the first poem I every wrote when I was six: Pretty yellow daffodillGrowing on a grassy hillCome grow upon my windowsillPretty yellow daffodiland the poem that inspired mine:Spring Joy"Daffodils" (1804)I WANDER'D lonely as a cloudThat floats on high o'er vales and hills,When all at once I saw a crowd,A

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

2010-04-06T10:53:00.001-04:00

There's Joy in Reaching a Goal March Madness has come to an end for another year and Duke has won the tournament title. I love my team but Butler is to be respected and like in the movies part of me wanted them to win. Every time I watch a game where the fans are rooting for the underdog I can't help but wonder why we so instinctively love the underdog. Do we feel so beaten that we don't know

March Madness

2010-04-04T13:53:00.001-04:00

Aging AbundantlyMarch Madness comes every year to those who love college basketball. But it's not every year the team you follow goes to the NCAA tournament and even less often that you see your team make it to the Championship Game. I count myself lucky to live in the same town with Duke University. I hate to admit that when I moved to the area from New York over 18 years ago I didn't know a

Facing a Challenge

2010-03-30T10:00:00.002-04:00

Challenges of Aging Yesterday I faced a challenge I had never before undertaken and I was terrified. I was to be interviewed on a radio program for caregivers about my book. I was thrilled and flattered when I was invited and naturally said yes. But as time drew near for me to carry out this commitment, a huge part of me didn't want to take the risk - wanted to run and hide and play it safe

"The Beauty of Aging"

2010-03-25T12:19:00.001-04:00

There is joy in agingThere's beauty in agingI stumbled across a wonderful project that I want to share with you because I feel it is an extremely valuable and important endeavor that warrants support. "The Beauty of Aging" is a documentary film that "explodes myths about aging with stories of active, extraordinary American women over 80". So many of us are struggling with our identities as we

Life in a Box

2010-03-23T10:41:00.001-04:00

Finding Joy

2010-03-16T09:16:00.001-04:00

"When process and destination are both tasty to you, the path to your North Star will unroll before your feet. You'll enjoy the journey and when you fall, a stretcher will come down from grace and gather you up." —Martha Beck, Steering by Starlight Steering by Starlight Most of you probably know I'm a huge fan of Martha Beck's books. They have been an inspirational and informative guide